The South Carolina volleyball team hosted its conference home opener on Wednesday night against the Tennessee Volunteers and came away with a 3-2 victory. The Gamecocks entered the contest with a record of 12-1 on the season with a loss in straight sets at Missouri in their SEC opener. The Volunteers came in with a 10-4 record but had started 1-1 in conference play.
“I feel like we just beat a really, really good team,” South Carolina head coach Scott Swanson said following the victory.
The Gamecocks, perhaps feeding off the energy of a rowdy home crowd, jumped out to a 3-0 start in the first set and even led 23-20 before giving up four points in a row and eventually dropping the set 26-24. In the second set, South Carolina got off to an equally hot start, taking an 8-2 lead. That lead was trimmed to three points before the Gamecocks pulled away for a 25-12 second set victory, led by freshman outside hitter Mikayla Shields, who had three kills and a dig in the set.
The third set was tightly contested but, despite several service errors by Tennessee down the stretch, the Gamecocks lost 25-23. South Carolina took control of the fourth set before losing their lead at the 15-14 mark. The Gamecocks showed some character by clawing back and taking the set 25-21 when Shields drilled a left-handed spike over the net for a set-clinching kill.
The fifth and final set was back and forth until South Carolina made a strong push at the end. Senior outside hitter Dessaa Legros had an emphatic spike to give the Gamecocks a late lead, and the team was able to hang on for the rest of the way, going on to win the set 15-13 and the match three sets to two.
“I usually don’t say I jump high, but I felt like I got up on that one," Legros said of the game-changing kill.
The outpouring of support from “Gamecock Jesus” and the fans as well as the antics of the pep band was just enough for the Gamecocks to outlast the dominant Tennessee front line. The Volunteers finished with 66 kills to South Carolina's 57, and had 18 more digs than the the Gamecocks, but the home team was able to capitalize on Tennessee's 14 service errors.
With the win, the Gamecocks improved their record to 13-1 and 1-1 in conference play. The team will suit up for another home game on Sunday when they take on the Kentucky Wildcats at 1:30 p.m.